Rant Sports continues its 100 Teams in 100 Days with a preview of #25 on the list, the Kansas State Wildcats.
Bill Snyder‘s run-first team is an anomaly in the pass-happy Big 12, but last year they made it work, going 10-3 and finishing second in the conference. The final record could’ve been much different, though: eight of those wins were decided by a touchdown or less.
The Wildcats ran twice as often as they passed and countered their opponents by gobbling up the clock on offense. They dominated time of possession, taking the pressure off their ineffective pass rush and keeping the ball in the hands of dangerous dual-threat quarterback Collin Klein. Klein literally had the ball in his hands much of the year: he was the team’s leading rusher with more than 1,000 yards, and he accounted for 40 total touchdowns.
Kansas State returns 17 starters this year; unfortunately, they have to replace three on an offensive line that was already suspect, giving up 43 sacks in 2011.
The Wildcats finished fifth in the Big-12 in total defense last year, but they were sorely lacking a pass rush. In back to back to back games against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M – all teams led by future NFL quarterbacks – the Wildcat surrendered 160 points.
They have stars in the making at defensive end and in the secondary, but if the defense doesn’t improve, Kansas State will have a hard time surviving in the Big 12.
Impact Players
Offense
Klein is without a doubt the most important piece of the Wildcats’ offense. He’s a legitimate dual-threat quarterback who was named the Big 12′s Offensive Player of the Year in 2011 (ahead of a certain Heisman winner from Baylor) and his 27 rushing touchdowns was an FBS record for touchdowns runs by a quarterback.
Klein has been called a “Tebow-clone,” and his throwing motion has received just as much criticism as Tebow’s, but expect to see much more of it this year as the Wildcats try to implement a more balanced offense to keep their quarterback from getting too beat up.
Poor mechanics or not, four of the five Kansas State quarterbacks who’ve started multiple seasons under Snyder have shown marked improvement from their first year to their last. Klein’s success will depend on his wide receivers, and while six of his top receiving from 2011 are returning, the team was just 109th nationally in passing offense last year.
Receivers Chris Harper and Tyler Lockett lead a receiving corps that can help improve that ranking by pushing for more yards after the catch and fewer dropped passes. Lockett was the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the year despite missing the final four games with a lacerated kidney. Now that he’s healthy, he’ll be an exciting guy to watch.
Even though they want to throw more, Kansas State will still be a run-first team. They could have two 1,000 yard rushers this year: Klein, and junior running back John Hubert, who had 970 yards in 2011. Hubert, who was also the team’s second-leading receiver behind Harper, will get even more carries to take some of the workload off Klein.
Defense
The defense returns talented players at linebacker, cornerback and defensive end.
Last year’s top pass rusher, senior Meshak Williams returns at defensive end. He had seven sacks and received All Big-12 recognition in 2011. He and senior Adam Davis will hold down the D-line, but the rotation at the tackle spots needs to step up.
The back seven should be strong, as long as they get a little help upfront. Linebacker Arthur Brown, a former transfer from Miami, led the team with 101 tackles (9.5 for loss) in 2011. Sophomore Tre Walker, who had 52 tackles last year, should make an even bigger impact this season.
Senior Nigel Malone was an All Big-12 selection in 2011, his first season after transferring from junior college, and his seven interceptions were tied for third nationally. He’ll start opposite senior Allen Chapman, who recorded 50 tackles and one interception – returned for a touchdown – last year.
Schedule
The schedule’s never going to be “easy” in the Big 12, and Kansas State will have its share of challenges to try to match last year’s 10-3 finish. They have road games at Oklahoma, Iowa State, West Virginia, TCU and Baylor, and they face Texas at home to close out the season. Their first test comes in week two when the Wildcats host Miami, but they could be 3-0 when they travel to Norman two weeks later for one of their toughest games of the year.
